All We Are
by LilMissCrystal
Summary: At the end of senior year, Troy's finds out a secret about his best friend, Sharpay, that will threaten their friendship and his relationship with Gabriella. Troypay with minor Troyella.
1. As Time Passes

Hello, everyone! This is my second HSM fic, but my first one was a one-shot, so this is my first attempt at an actual story. This is set towards the end of senior year. I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own HSM, any of its characters, or any songs I use in the story.

Troy couldn't believe that senior year was almost over. It seemed like the whole year just flew by in the blink of an eye. So much had changed after the summer at Lava Springs. He and Gabriella's relationship had grown so much and now they were going to college together. He had gotten a basketball scholarship and she had an academic scholarship to the University of Albuquerque.

After that summer, he had become really good friends with Sharpay, much to everyone's surprise, even his own. It turned out that underneath her "Ice Princess" persona, Sharpay was actually a decent person. She was definitely one of his best friends. They hung out all the time and talked about everything. She was there for him every time he and Gabriella had a fought or hit a snag in their relationship. Unfortunately, Gabriella wasn't too fond of his newfound friendship with Sharpay. She kept insisting that Sharpay was only trying to break them up, but Troy knew that wasn't true. Sharpay just wanted him to be happy, something she had told him on several occasions.

Sharpay. She was the reason he was sitting up here on the rooftop of the school. She had been acting strangely lately. He thought it was because the school year was ending and she hadn't picked a college yet, but she'd been distant for weeks now and he knew it was something more. It was almost like she was avoiding him. He really needed to talk to her. He was about to head down to the auditorium, when a pair of arms slipped around his waste.

"Hey babe. You seemed all zoned out. Whatcha thinking about?" He turned around and smiled slightly at Gabriella. She always knew where to find him.

"Nothing much. I just can't believe the year is almost over." He knew he couldn't tell her the whole truth. He could tell that she was actually happy Sharpay wasn't around as much and he didn't want to argue.

"Yeah I know. But just think we'll be in college together in a few months. Four whole years of just you and me." She smiled and gave him a hug. He half-heartily hugged her back. He had a feeling they were not on the same page about how college would be. All she talked about was them spending time together, but he was looking forward to meeting new friends and playing basketball. He didn't want college to be just about the two of them.

Just then, the bell rang. Troy sighed with relief.

"Well, I better get to rehearsal. Ms. Darbus will be pissed if I'm late, again." Gabriella frowned slightly, but turned away so he couldn't see. She had been disappointed when he had tried out for the spring musical without her. She had thought that he was done with the singing thing. She knew that she was. But he had tried out anyway and gotten the lead opposite Sharpay. They had fought about it for weeks, which just sent him running to Sharpay for help. She sighed. No matter what she did, Sharpay was always there, ready to be Troy's shoulder to lean on. She just didn't understand it. She had been happy when Sharpay wasn't around as much, but with the musical so close, she knew that Troy and Sharpay had hours and hours of rehearsal together.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want you to be late seeing your 'best friend'." She mentally slapped herself as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Troy's eyes flared angrily.

"What is that supposed to mean? I thought you had gotten over being jealous of Sharpay," he said with a sigh. Gabriella spun around to face him.

"I am not jealous of that spoiled brat. I just don't understand why all of the sudden she is the one you're hanging out with and talking to about every thing. I'm your girlfriend, not her!" She glared at him, awaiting his response.

"First of all, she is not a spoiled brat! And us being friends is not all of a sudden. We've been friends since last summer and we even dated for a year before you came to school here. Sharpay has been in my life for a long time now!" He couldn't believe they were fighting about this, again. Why couldn't she just understand? He softened a bit as he saw the tears in her eyes. He hated to make her cry. He walked towards her and pulled her into a hug.

"Gabi, don't cry," he whispered in her ear. "Please don't cry. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just that Sharpay is my friend and you make me feel guilty for that. I'm with you, remember? Sharpay is just a friend." She pulled away slightly and he wiped the tears from her face. She knew she was being ridiculous. Even if Sharpay was trying to steal him, she knew Troy loved her and wouldn't choose Sharpay over her.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled either. I'm just stressed out with school ending and everything. You really need to go or Ms. Darbus will have you scrubbing the stage." He laughed slightly and kissed her goodbye. He ran all the way to the auditorium, making it just in the nick of time.

"So nice of you to join us Mr. Bolton. You barely made it on time. You know the theatre waits for no one." Ms. Darbus glared at him.

"Sorry Ms. Darbus," he said as he headed towards the stage. He smiled and waved at Sharpay, but she just nodded her head in his direction and turned her attention to Ms. Darbus. What was wrong with her?

**Well, that was the first chapter. Hope you liked it. Please R&R!**


	2. The Truth Is Out

**AN: **Thank you so much for all the reviews, story favorite and story alert adds! I was not expecting that many people to read this. Anyway, here is the second installment. I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own HSM, any of its characters, or any songs I use in the story.

They ran through scenes for four hours. Troy never got the chance to talk to Sharpay. Every time they had a break, she would busy herself talking to Ryan or Ms. Darbus. He was going crazy not knowing what was wrong with her. The minute they were dismissed, he ran over to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her backstage.

"Okay, Evans I want to know what's going on and you better tell me right now." Sharpay grimaced. He only ever called her by her last name when he was upset with her. She mentally composed herself, trying to think of a good lie.

"Nothing, Bolton. I've just been stressed with school and rehearsal and picking a college. I've just needed some time by myself." He eyed her suspiciously, knowing she was leaving something out, but he didn't want to push her. At least she was talking to him. He gave her a hug.

"Good. I've missed you like crazy these past couple of weeks. I thought you were mad at me."

"Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you? Everything's fine." She flashed him a fake smile. "So why were you almost late today?" She asked, trying desperately to change the subject. She sat down on the side of the stage and he sat right beside her. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Gabi and I got in a fight again. She just doesn't understand me and you being friends and now there's all this pressure about us going to college together…" She listened to him go on and on about his girlfriend for 5 minutes until she couldn't stand it for another minute.

"I can't do this anymore Troy," she said, jumping up from her seat. He looked at her, confused.

"Can't do what?" He stared into her brown eyes. What was she talking about?

"This. Me and you." She motioned between them with her hands. "I thought that I could handle it, but I can't I'm sorry.

"Sharpay, I don't understand. You don't want to be friends anymore?" He stared at her pleadingly. He felt like his chest was caving in. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"No, I don't want to be friends anymore." She turned and started to walk away and his heart was in his throat. She wasn't making any since. He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. He looked almost angry. She tried to look anywhere but at him knowing that her resolve would break soon.

"You can't just say something like that and walk away. I demand that you tell me what the hell is going on!" She was breaking inside, knowing that he was hurt, but she had to protect herself. She took a deep breath and braced herself for the biggest performance of her life. She let out a fake maniacal laugh.

"You actually thought that I really wanted to be your friend forever? I mean sure, it was fun for a while, but school is about to be over and I don't see the point in keeping up this little charade. Us being friends was great for high school, but now we're going to college and we may as well just end this." She started to walk away again, looking for an escape of any kind. She couldn't stay here much longer and the tears were coming.

He stared after her in shock as she walked out of the side door. There was something wrong, really wrong and he knew she was lying to him. He couldn't believe she thought that he would fall for her "ice princess" act. He knew her better than that. He ran after her, out into the parking lot. She had gotten into her car and was about to leave, but he stood in front of it.

"Get out of the way Troy!" She yelled at him, as icily as she could. She needed to get away. Why couldn't he just let her go?

"No! Not until you tell me truth. Don't pull your 'I'm such a bitch' act on me. I saw the tears in your eyes. Something's wrong and you better get out of the car right now and tell me what it is. Is it Gabi? Did she say something to you?" It was right then that she couldn't hold it in anymore. She got out of the car, slamming the door. The tears were now streaming down her face and she couldn't stop them. Troy stared at her in shock. Why was she crying? He tried to hug her, to make everything better, but she just pushed him away.

"Shar, please. Please tell me what's wrong. If Gabi said…"

"I don't want to talk about Gabriella!" she yelled, cutting him off. "Not only do I not want to talk about her, I don't want to hear about her and I sure as hell am sick of seeing her and you together."

"Shar, what the…"

"Just shut up for a minute! Stop asking me what's wrong and do me a favor and stop mentioning that girl. I have spend months and months helping you through every fight, through every 'almost' break-up and I can't stand it any longer." He looked at her, hurt evident in his eyes.

"If you don't want me to talk about my relationship, I won't. I didn't know it bothered you. I just thought that as my best friend, you wanted to support me and help me." He was starting to get angry now, still confused. Sharpay shook her head sadly and sat down on a curb with her head in her hands. Troy's anger dissolved at the sad site in front of him. He rushed over and sat down next to her, pulling her to him. She pulled away and stood up, facing him.

"You don't get it, do you? It's not about me not wanting to support you. I've told you a million times that I just want you to be happy, but I didn't think your happiness would make me so miserable. Did you ever wonder why I never warmed up to Gabriella, even after last summer when I became friends with everyone else? Did you ever wonder why I would tense up when you mentioned her or excuse myself when the two of you would come into a room all over each other?" She wiped the tears away, getting a little braver with every word she said. This was a long time coming and she knew she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I still don't understand, Shar." He looked up at her, begging for answers. She shook her head, letting out a bitter laugh.

"Wow, guys really are dense aren't they?" He still didn't get it and it was starting to frustrate her.

"Dense? Shar, you don't make any sense and I am really tired of just sitting here not…"

"I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU IDIOT!" His mouth dropped open and he jumped to his feet.

**Hope you enjoyed the little cliffhanger. Please R&R!**


	3. Moment of Change

**AN: **Y'all are so amazing! Thank you so much for the reviews and all the adds. You have definitely inspired me to keep writing, so here's the new chapter.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own HSM, any of its characters, or any songs I use in the story.

Recap from Ch. 2 

"I still don't understand, Shar." He looked up at her, begging for answers. She shook her head, letting out a bitter laugh.

"Wow, guys really are dense aren't they?" He still didn't get it and it was starting to frustrate her.

"Dense? Shar, you don't make any sense and I am really tired of just sitting here not…"

"I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU IDIOT!" His mouth dropped open and he jumped to his feet.

Chapter 3: Moment of Change 

"You're what? But we're friends. Did you just call me an idiot? I'm with…" She put up a hand to stop him and rolled her eyes.

"Believe me, I know who you're with. I've known for a year now and it's still not any easier to be around you two. I thought I could handle it and for months I was doing just fine, but I can't do this anymore. I can't keep trying to just be your friend. I can't keep helping you every time you and her fight. I can't be your shoulder to cry on anymore, I'm sorry." She turned to get into her car, but he jumped in front of her. He couldn't believe what she had just said. It couldn't be possible.

"Shar, I'm sorry I didn't know. But that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I promise I won't talk to you about Gabi anymore. We'll just talk about the musical and other stuff. This doesn't have to be the end." He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and tried to smile, but she just looked at him sadly and pushed him to the side, getting into her car.

"I'm sorry Troy, but this is the end. Even if we don't talk about her, she's still there. You're still dating her and I can't see that anymore. As soon as the play is over and we graduate, I don't want to see you anymore, ever." She started the car and drove off, leaving him there confused and hurt. He didn't know what to do or who to talk to about it. He obviously couldn't talk to Gabriella and he wasn't sure Chad would understand. He would probably just laugh. He hopped in his car and drove home.

He walked into his house and threw his stuff on the floor.

"Dad, are you home?" He was desperate to talk to someone and he knew his dad could help him out.

"Hey, Troy. What's wrong?" his dad asked as he walked into the kitchen. Troy hopped up on the counter and put his head in his hands.

"The question is, what isn't wrong?" His dad looked at him oddly.

"Son, I don't understand." Troy laughed bitterly.

"Yeah there's a lot of that going around." His dad just stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Just start from the beginning, because I'm lost," his dad said. Troy sighed.

"Okay, so you know that Gabriella and I were fighting a lot last month because of the musical. Sharpay helped me get through it and now Gabi and I are okay, but then Sharpay started acting really distant and was avoiding me." He stopped to take a breath and make sure his dad understood everything so far.

"Yeah, I noticed that Sharpay wasn't around as much, but I didn't know you two were fighting." Troy ran a hand through his hair and hopped off the counter.

"That's just it. We weren't fighting. Not one argument or anything. She just started to pull away. I finally confronted her about it today and I thought we had smooth things over, but then I started talking about Gabi and Sharpay got angry and started ranting about me and Gabi and then she told me she didn't want to be friends anymore." His dad gave him an odd look that Troy didn't understand.

"She didn't tell you why or anything." Troy sighed, replaying the whole scene in his head.

"At first she tried to be mean and act like she didn't care, but I called her on it and then she broke down and told me that we couldn't be friends because she couldn't stand to see me and Gabriella together. She said that she was in love with me and that after school was over, she never wanted to see me again." Troy looked at his dad, expecting him to be shocked but he just looked at Troy with an unreadable expression.

"So she finally told you the truth, huh?" Troy stared at him. How did his dad know?

"She told you?!" His dad laughed and shook his head.

"Of course she didn't tell me. Do you really think the teenage girl who is in love with my son would confide in me? I just knew. It wasn't that hard to figure out and to be honest, I was waiting for the day to come when she wouldn't be able to handle things the way they are." Troy still couldn't believe that his dad knew. He let out a frustrated cry.

"Why didn't you tell me? You just let me get blind-sided!" He was a little angry now. His dad could have at least warned him.

"How exactly did you expect me to tell you? First of all, it wasn't my business to tell and second of all I doubt you would have believed me." He was right. Troy never would have believed him. Now he was just more confused than ever.

"Well, what am I supposed to do now? Shar's my best friend. I don't want to lose her." His dad put an arm around him.

"I know, son, but Gabriella is still your girlfriend and if Sharpay can't handle being around the two of you, then you can't make her. It wouldn't be fair. Just give her some time and maybe towards the end of summer, you two can be friends again."

"Maybe you're right. I'll just give her some space and then we can go back to normal. Thanks dad." He grabbed his stuff and headed upstairs.

He knew his dad was just trying to help, but he couldn't just wait around for things to get better with him and Sharpay. He had to see her.

**Please R&R! **


	4. But You And Me?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own HSM, any of its characters, or any songs I use in the story.

Ryan sat in the kitchen with a frown on his face. Something was bothering Sharpay and he didn't know what it was. She had come home from practice and locked herself in her room, blaring Celine Dion through the whole house. He sighed. Maybe she was just in a Celine Dion mood. Yeah, that has to be it. He hopped off the stool and started to head to the den to practice a few dances for the musical, but he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he heard the first notes of "Everybody Hurts" by REM. He knew this could not be good.

He knocked on her door, but there was no answer. He tried again, but she still ignored him.

"Sharpay, open this door right now!" He slammed his fist against the door again but she still didn't answer. "Sharpay, if you don't open this door right now, I'm going to tell dad that you were the one who wrecked his new BMW!" He gave a victorious grin as the door flew open, but his smile dropped immediately when he saw his sister. She was dressed in pajamas with her hair a mess and her make-up smeared. He ran to her side.

"Shar, what happened? Why are you crying? You never cry. Should I call Troy? Maybe he could…"

"Don't you dare call that jerk! I don't ever want to see him again!" Ryan stared at her, confused. Troy was her best friend. I mean, sure they hadn't been spending a lot of time together lately, but he didn't think anything was wrong.

"Shar, why don't you want to see Troy? What happened?" Sharpay looked up at her brother. He looked so concerned and she knew she should tell him the truth. Hell, she should have told him sooner.

"Troy and I aren't friends anymore because I'm in love with him and he's in love with that bitch Gabriella and I don't want to see them together anymore because it hurts too much." She took a deep breath. "There. There's your TV guide version of the whole thing." She threw herself face down on the bed as she once again dissolved into tears. Ryan was at a complete loss at to what to say to her. On top of that, he couldn't believe that he had missed all the signs that she was in love with Troy. They were twins. Shouldn't he have known?

"I'm so sorry, Sharpay. He's crazy not to pick you. You are so much better than that Gabriella girl. He's a fool for not seeing it." She smiled half heartily at her brother's attempt to cheer her up. She knew he was trying, but it honestly didn't make her feel any better.

"Thanks for trying Ry, but I really want to be left alone." 

Right then the doorbell rang and Ryan ran down the stairs to answer it. He swung open the door and there stood Troy Bolton, the guy who had made his sister cry. He attempted to slam the door shut in his face, but Troy pushed his foot in the way. He was guessing that Sharpay had told Ryan what happened.

"Look Ryan, I just need to talk to her." Ryan stood in front of Troy with his arms crossed.

"No, not gonna happen. You've done enough talking to her for one day, or for a whole lifetime in fact. She doesn't want to see you." Troy ran his hand through his hair.

"Look, I didn't mean to upset her. I just…"

"Upset her?! You think you only upset her. Never in our whole lives has Sharpay cried as much as she has today because of you. My sister is a complete mess because you're too stupid to see how wonderful she is. So just go back to your girlfriend and leave my sister alone!" He shoved Troy as hard as he could and slammed the door shut.

Ryan thought about going to check on Sharpay, but she said she wanted to be left alone and he didn't want to upset her.

Sharpay sat curled up on her bed. She had heard everything that had gone on between Ryan and Troy. She would have to remember to thank her brother for sticking up for her. She was kind of surprised. Normally he just followed her around and did what she told him, but he really went out on a limb for her today. 

She was about to lay down for a nap when she heard a tapping on her patio door. She opened the blinds and there was Troy. New tears welled up in her eyes. Why wouldn't he just go away?

"Shar, please open the door. Just give me two minutes and I'll leave." He looked at her pleadingly and she rolled her eyes as she unlocked the door.

"What do you want Bolton?" He flinched at her cold tone.

"I just wanted to say that I was sorry. Shar, I never wanted to hurt you. You're my best friend. I just want this to be okay." She let out a sad laugh.

"Don't you get it, Troy? We'll never be okay again. I'm in love with you and you're in love with someone else. That kind of situation never turns out okay in the end. That's just how it is. So please just leave me alone. If I really am your best friend, then you'll respect my wishes. Don't call me, don't come over, and don't even talk to me unless it has to do with the musical. And when school is over, just let me go my own way and don't try to follow me or mend our friendship." She smiled at him sadly. He tried to grab her hand, but she flinched away.

"Please, Shar. We can make this work. I don't want to lose you. You're too important to me." She closed her eyes, trying to muster her last ounce of strength. She walked over to the patio door and opened it.

"Your two minutes are up. You need to go."

"But Shar…"

"Now!" He sighed, defeated. His dad was right. Maybe the only thing that could heal this was time. He just hoped he didn't have to wait too long.

**Please R&R! **


	5. I've Tried My Best to Let Go

Thanks so much for all the support! I know a lot of you are dying for some Troypay, but I have a specific plan for the story and it doesn't involve Troy and Sharpay together…just yet. So be patient with me.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own HSM, any of its characters, or any songs I use in the story.

Sharpay looked at the clock again. It was finally time for her to get up. She had tried to sleep, but couldn't after everything that had happened the day before, so she just laid awake for hours. She rolled out of bed and groaned as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy and her hair looked terrible. She hopped in the shower and did her best to not look like the walking dead, but even with her perfect hair and make up, her eyes still looked sad and lifeless. She sighed. There wasn't much she could do to fix that. 

She couldn't believe that she had told Troy the truth. Part of her wished she had just kept her mouth shut and gone on just being his friend, but she knew deep down that it wouldn't have done any good to keep pretending. She dreaded going to school today, but she knew she couldn't just hide in her room. She had to face a world without Troy in her life and she wanted to get the hard part over sooner rather than later. She grabbed her purse and headed down the stairs.

"Hey, Shar. How are you feeling today?" Ryan smiled at her. He knew it was a dumb question, because one look at her and he could tell she felt terrible, but he didn't know what else to say. She smiled at his attempt at small talk.

"I still feel like crap, but just one day at a time right? By the way, thank you for sticking up for me yesterday."

"Yeah, a lot of good it did. I can't believe that ass climbed up to your patio." Ryan couldn't believe that Troy had the nerve to do that after he had slammed the door in his face. Sharpay gave him a hug and laughed.

"It was a good try though. As for the patio incident, I don't think we'll have to worry about Troy dropping by anymore. I think he finally got it in his head that I don't want to see him. Anyway, enough about him. Let's get to school. We've only got a week until opening night for the musical. I still can't believe that we actually get to perform Wicked." They talked about the musical all the way to school and then went their separate ways for homeroom. Unfortunately, Sharpay had homeroom with Gabriella and Troy.

She walked into the room looking for a place to sit. She saw Troy staring at her out of the corner of her eye, but she ignored him. She usually sat right next to him with Gabriella on the other side, but that wasn't going to work anymore. She finally saw an empty seat next to Taylor and sat down. Taylor looked at her oddly, as did most of her classmates. Since when did she not sit with Troy? Before Taylor could ask her what happened, Ms. Darbus came in and started rattling off the day's announcements. As soon as the bell rang, she tried to rush out of the room, but Taylor grabbed her arm.

"Shar, wait up." Sharpay sighed. She knew she had some explaining to do, but she didn't really want to talk about it.

"Look Tay, I don't want to talk about it okay?" Taylor looked at her concerned.

"Look, we've been friends since this past summer, really good friends and you never keep anything from me. Just tell me what happened. Why didn't you sit next to Troy? You always sit there." Sharpay sighed. Taylor was right, they had become really good friends and she didn't want to lie to her, so she told her the whole story from start to finish as Taylor looked at her wide-eyed. Once she was done, she waited for Taylor's reaction.

"Wow. I mean, wow. I had sort of thought that you still liked Troy, but I didn't know it was this bad."

"Yeah, well now you know. And pretty soon, the whole school is going to know, which is only going to add to my humiliation. Sometimes I miss being the school's 'Ice Princess'. It had its advantages, like avoiding situations like this one." Taylor gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Don't say things like that. Trust me, I do not miss that side of you. As for the whole school knowing, leave that to me. I'll tell all our friends that you and Troy had a fight and you're taking a break from being friends. If they ask why, I'll tell them its none of their business and if they try to bother you about it, I'll tell them Chad is going to beat them up. You do know I have to tell Chad the truth though, right?" Sharpay nodded and gave Taylor a big hug.

"I don't mind if Chad knows. He is Troy's best friend and will probably find out eventually anyway. Thanks for helping me. I owe you big time. Oh, and one more favor? Can you not tell Gabriella the truth? If Troy wants her to know, he'll tell her." Taylor nodded.

"Sure thing. And between you and me, I think you and Troy would be much better together. He's an idiot." Sharpay laughed as she and Taylor made their way to class. Maybe today wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

Sorry this chapter is a little shorter, but I wanted to break Sharpay and Troy's reactions to the day after into two chapters, so the next chapter will be a little shorter too. Please R&R!


	6. It's Hard to be Around You

AN: Thanks again for the reviews. Just to clear up the issue about the pairing in the story, I had originally wanted to leave it open for Troyella or Troypay, but I mapped out the whole story, and this will most likely end as a Troypay. There will probably still be some Troyella scenes, but for Troyella fans, Gabriella isn't going to be very sweet and nice in this story, mainly because she's playing the role of a jealous girlfriend. I apologize for this.

So I'm sorry to all of those who were hoping for a Troyella. I plan on maybe writing a Troyella story in the future.

Disclaimer: I do not own HSM, any of its characters, or any songs I use in the story.

Troy had been awake all night thinking about Sharpay. He had thought that maybe yesterday had just been really draining on her and today would be better, but after she ignored him in homeroom and didn't sit next to him, he knew their friendship was really over.

He spent most of the day avoiding people, especially Gabriella, so that he didn't have to answer any questions. It seems that everyone had taken notice when Sharpay sat elsewhere in homeroom. He sighed with relief when the last bell rang. All he had left to deal with today was basketball practice and then he could go home. Ms. Darbus had surprisingly gave them the day off from musical practice, but he figured she just didn't want the cast to be dead on their feet on opening night.

He walked into the locker room to suit up for practice, but was pulled aside by Chad. He groaned. He really didn't want to talk about this right now, or ever for that matter.

"Look Chad, I don't really…"

"Taylor told me everything." Troy looked at him shocked.

"What? How did she…"

"Sharpay told her the whole story after homeroom. Taylor also promised Sharpay she wouldn't tell anyone the truth except for me. She just told everyone that you and Sharpay had a fight and aren't speaking and if anyone tried to ask why or bother Sharpay or you about it, Taylor told them that I could beat them up." Troy didn't know if he should laugh at the image of Chad beating random people up and cry because it was really the end for him and Sharpay.

"Well, I guess that takes care of it." Chad gave him an odd look.

"Umm, not really. You still have to decide what you're going to tell Gabriella. Taylor didn't tell her anything and you know that she's not going to be okay with not knowing why you and Sharpay had a fight." Troy sighed. He had almost forgotten that he had to tell Gabriella something. This long day had just gotten longer.

After basketball practice, he hit the showers and headed towards his girlfriend's house. He knew that there was no point in trying to put this off. He wasn't sure what he was going to tell her, but he knew it had to be anything but the truth.

He scaled the tree to her balcony and knocked on the door. She unlocked the door when she saw it was him and walked back to her bed, sitting with her back to him.

"So now you want to talk to me?" Troy winced. He knew she would be mad.

"I'm sorry about today Gabi. Things were just crazy and I was trying to hide from everyone's questions, but I'm here now." He made his way over to her and sat down beside her, taking her hand in his. She smiled at him and he knew he was forgiven.

"Speaking of today, what is up with you and Sharpay?" Troy sighed as he racked his brain for an excuse. He thought of one and silently apologized to Sharpay for what he was about to say.

"We aren't friends anymore." She looked at him questioningly.

"Why not? I thought you two were 'best friends'," she said, with some annoyance in her voice. He ignored her tone and continued his lie. He had to do this for Sharpay and for him. Gabriella would never be able to handle the truth.

"I just realized what a selfish bitch she is. It's all about her. I started to notice it while we have been practicing for Wicked. I'm just tired of her 'me, me, me' attitude." Troy was dying inside with each word that came out of his mouth, but he didn't know any other way. Gabriella smiled.

"Finally you see her for who she really is. I'm surprised it took you this long, but at least now you know. Now, we don't have to worry about her anymore." She snuggled up to him and he put his arms around her, biting his tongue to keep from screaming at her and telling her that Sharpay wasn't like that. But he loved Gabriella and he would do anything to keep her, even if he had to lose a piece of his soul. He sighed and breathed in her scent. She was what he should focus on now. He didn't want to let go of Sharpay, but she left him no choice. He needed to make her a fading memory, because apparently that's what she was doing to him.

Please R&R!


	7. Where I Stood

Disclaimer: I do not own HSM, any of its characters, or any songs I use in the story

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in forever, things have been crazy. But here is a new chapter and hopefully the next one will be up within the next week or so. Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own HSM, any of its characters, or any songs I use in the story.

Sharpay sat in her room, mindlessly strumming on her guitar. It had been three weeks since she and Troy had their fight. They had made it through the musical and the rest of school with the least amount of contact possible.

Taylor had kept her promise and no one bothered her about why she and Troy weren't friends. She still didn't know what Troy had told Gabriella, but whatever it was must have worked because it kept her from asking Sharpay questions.

Unfortunately, her parents were obliviously to the fact that Troy and her weren't friends anymore and they had insisted on taking all these pictures at graduation that morning. She had to force herself to not melt into Troy's embrace when he pulled her close for the photos, but thankfully it had ended quickly and he had disappeared into the crowd.

Tonight Kelsi was having a big graduation party at her house. On top of that, she had insisted that everyone sing a song of their choice in front of everyone. At first, Sharpay had cringed at the thought, but once she thought about it, she decided why not go out with a bang? This was her last night in town because she was on a plane to New York to start summer sessions for Juilliard. No one at school except for Taylor, Chad and of course Ryan knew.

So all that led her to this moment, sitting on her bed looking over the latest song she had written. She took a deep breath and tried to shake her nerves.

"Hey sis. You ready?" Sharpay jumped at the sound of Ryan's voice. She smiled.

"Hey Ry. Yeah, I was just looking over it one more time." Ryan smiled as he looked over her shoulder at her song. He was so proud of her for wanting to perform it. He knew how hard these past few weeks had been and he hoped tonight would be one final good memory of high school for her.

"You're going to do great. Now hurry up and grab your guitar. We're already late."

They made it to the party just a half hour or so late. Sharpay looked around at all her friends, glad that at least for her last year of high school, people had really liked her and cared about her. She smiled as she saw Taylor running towards her.

"Hey Shar! You look amazing! And it's about time you got here. People already started singing, though you should be glad you missed Gabriella and Troy's song. They did a mushy love duet and I doubt you want to see that." Sharpay sighed in relief. Taylor was right, seeing that would just cause her heart to break more. She smiled sadly.

"Yeah, its bad enough I'm in love with the guy. Why pour salt in the wound?" She linked arms with Taylor and walked towards Chad and some of the basketball players. She was too busy talking to Taylor to notice that Gabriella had heard the whole conversation.

Gabriella couldn't believe that Taylor hadn't told her about Sharpay being in love with Troy. Taylor was supposed to be her best friend, not Sharpay's. As for Troy, she wasn't going to let Sharpay steal him away and she had the perfect plan to ruin her chances. She smiled as she saw Taylor and Chad head to the stage to sing, leaving Sharpay alone. She walked towards the refreshment table where Sharpay was and "accidentally" bumped into her.

"Oh Sharpay, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," she said with false sincerity. Sharpay fought the urge to roll her eyes. When Sharpay didn't say anything, she kept talking. "So I haven't seen you around much since you and Troy stopped talking. He told me all about your fight. That must have been hard for you." Sharpay looked at her in shock. Troy had told her everything? She didn't think he would want Gabriella to know.

"He told you what happened? I didn't… Well I…" She stopped unable to find the words. Gabriella just grinned to herself and continued her plan.

"Yeah, I mean it was bound to happen. You thought you could fool him forever, but I guess you couldn't."

"Wait, you knew the truth the whole time?" Sharpay couldn't believe this.

"Of course I knew. I've always known what a bitch you were." Sharpay looked at her confused. Why was Gabriella calling her a bitch like she had fallen in love with Troy on purpose?

"I'm sorry, but who do you think you're calling a bitch and what exactly did he tell you?"

"He told me that he had finally seen you for the selfish, spoiled brat you really are and he didn't want anything to do with you." Gabriella smiled victoriously as the tears welled up in Sharpay's eyes. Just then her name was called from the stage. It was her turn to sing.

She tried to smile as everyone watched her get on stage, but her heart was breaking. She couldn't decide if Gabriella was lying or if Troy had really said that, but she just tried to push it all aside, because no matter what happened, she was going to do what she came to do and then get on that plane and never look back. She grabbed her guitar and walked to the microphone.

"Hey everyone. Tonight is a very special night, not only because we finally graduated, but because tonight is my last night in town." She paused for a moment as everyone gasped. She couldn't help but sneak a peek at Troy and she saw his mouth hanging open and shock written on his face. She looked away and continued.

"I'm leaving tonight for Juilliard to pursue music. Before I go, I want to sing a song that I wrote about the boy I love, who unfortunately loves someone else." Everyone looked confused, except for Ryan, Taylor, and Chad who just smiled at her encouragingly. She couldn't bring herself to look at Troy, because she was afraid her resolve would fade. She smiled. "Well, here it goes. This is called Where I Stood."

I don't know what I've done  
Or if I like what I've begun  
But something told me to run  
And honey you know me it's all or none

There were sounds in my head  
Little voices whispering  
That I should go and this should end  
Oh and I found myself listening

Because I don't know who I am, who I am without you  
All I know is that I should  
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you  
All I know is that I should  
Because she will love you more than I could  
She who dares to stand where I stood

See I thought love was black and white  
That it was wrong or it was right  
But you ain't leaving without a fight  
And I think I am just as torn inside

Because I don't know who I am, who I am without you  
All I know is that I should  
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you  
All I know is that I should  
Because she will love you more than I could  
She who dares to stand where I stood

And I won't be far from where you are if ever you should call  
You meant more to me than anyone I ever loved at all  
But you taught me how to trust myself and so I say to you  
This is what I have to do

Because I don't know who I am, who I am without you  
All I know is that I should  
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you  
All I know is that I should  
Because she will love you more than I could  
She who dares to stand where I stood  
Oh, she who dares to stand where I stood

As soon as she finished, the entire party erupted in applause. She walked down from the stage and was met by all her friends who were congratulating her and telling her good-bye. She stuck around for a few minutes, but decided to leave before Troy could find her amongst all the people. She said good-bye to Taylor, Chad and Ryan before heading to her car. She was about to get in when someone spun her around.

"Troy? Troy, what the hell are you…" He cut her off as he crashed his lips into hers.

**TaDa! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and another little cliffhanger ending. I just love those. –smiles- Please R&R! **

**Btw, for anyone who wants to know what this song is, it's called "Where I Stood" by Missy Higgins. **


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